Delius was born in 1862 in Bradford, a city in central England, but it was a turbulent life that changed his home so much that he could not be called a composer from England. Born into a wealthy merchant and a music lover, his father opposed going on the musical path and sent him to offices in Germany, Sweden, France and Florida to take over the house. However, Delius was absorbed in music because he had left his job. Finally, his father reluctantly agreed to go on the musical path and decided to attend the Leipzig Conservatory in Germany. There is also an anecdote that Norwegian composer Grieg saw Delius' talent and persuaded his father. However, he moved to Paris because he didn't get used to the German tradition. It was in his late-blooming life after he was 40 years old that he emerged as a composer. "On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring" is one of his representative works of "Two Works for Small Orchestra" composed at the age of 50 in 1912. Originally, the scene is depicted in an orchestra, and the birdsongs are layered on a woodwind instrument on the gentle harmony of a stringed instrument, but in Lento & Vivace, it is arranged for piano and instrumental solo. It's easy to play and the tempo is a little faster than the original song, but you can enjoy the beautiful sound of chord progression, and it's a gentle music as if you were looking at an Impressionist picture.
